The HIDEA School-Based Screening Scale for Teachers to Detect ADHD Markers in Elementary Students

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with academic difficulties both short- and long-term. The aim of the study was to provide a new brief ADHD screening scale that could be easily used by teachers and educational professionals in elementary schools.

Participants were teachers of 158 children with a prior diagnosis of ADHD and 169 children without a diagnosis of ADHD. An initial pool of 38 items was generated from ADHD symptoms of both DSM-5 and CIE-10 criteria, as well from Conners 3, EDAH, SDQ and ADHD-RS-IV scales.

A 5-item model showed the best fit (c2 = 7.04; d.f. = 5; p = .218; RMSEA = .035; CFI = .999; TLI = .999). The HIDEA total score was highly correlated with both ADHD-IN (r = .93; p<.001) and ADHD-HY (r = .87; p<.001). The ROC curve for the HIDEA total score gave an AUC value of .998 (95%, CI = [.994, 1.000]). HIDEA scale showed a good sensitivity (97%) and very good specificity (3%).

The HIDEA scale has shown adequate psychometric properties. It is potentially useful for screening ADHD in elementary grade as part of a preventive strategies in school settings.